ABSTRACT
Internationally, there is for example a growing critical awareness of the ‘political’ nature of museums and their historic role in maintaining the cultural values of elite or privileged groups in society. As political structures change, the powerful role of cultural facilities, such as museums, run or supported by the state, comes under intense public scrutiny. Questions about whose culture is being portrayed or transmitted in museums and who is portraying or transmitting it for whom are to be heard in countries throughout the world. This debate, with the recognition of the powerful position that museums and similar facilities have in explaining and transmitting cultural values, is an exciting and challenging one. Museums need to explain the rationale for their mission and their core values to their users, and engage their users in helping them shape mission and values.
